'Anurag Kashyap should be ashamed of himself'

'Anurag Kashyap kept quiet for more than three years and now, he wants to become Devdas by making her tragedy his.'

Sushant Singh is angry.

Known for his crime television show, Savdhaan India, Singh slammed film-maker Anurag Kashyap for not taking a stand when an employee complained of sexual harassment against his partner in Phantom Films, Vikas Bahl.

"Sex and power are used as currency and weapons. Everyone knows this. We were seeing only the good side of the film industry; no one wanted to see the bad side," Singh, below, general secretary, Cine and Television Artists Association (CINTAA), tells Rediff.com's Syed Firdaus Ashraf.

Voices from the film industry are speaking up about their #MeToo experiences. What is CINTAA doing about it?

Our organisation is looking into this matter seriously.

Tanushree Dutta's complaint is already with us.

Since 2015, CINTAA has had six sexual harassment cases and we have taken all of them seriously.

We have taken action in all of them.

In Tanushree's case too, we have written a letter to Nana Patekar. We have told him that if he wants, we can discuss this matter through CINTAA.

We have informed Tanushree too.

You criticised Anurag Kashyap for keeping quiet.

One girl's life was finished and Anurag Kashyap just kept quiet.

He did not do anything to the sexual perpetrator. And when his company was shutting down, he was trying to ride on that #MeToo and woman's tragedy by saying, see what a big step we took.

Anurag Kashyap kept quiet for more than three years and now, he wants to become Devdas by making her tragedy his.

He should be ashamed of himself.

But let me tell you, what I tweeted yesterday (October 8) was my personal stance and not CINTAA's official stance.

CINTAA has its rules and regulations.

Sexual harassment is rampant in the film industry.

Film industry ne nazrey pheri thi (looked the other way) on sexual harassment, but it's not new for any industry.

Sex and power are used as currency and weapons. Everyone knows this.

We were seeing only the good side of the film industry; no one wanted to see the bad side.

Now, the atmosphere has changed and people are willing to listen to the other side and believe them.

Girls, and even boys, are coming out and speaking up.

Not only women, even men have been exploited.

What action did you take in the six complaints of sexual harassment that CINTAA received?

We filed FIRs (first information reports) in some cases.

In one case, a director on a television set, had spoken badly with an actress and she had complained.

We took the director to the police station and he had to apologise to her.

In one case, a person was recording illegally with a hidden camera and we got the police involved. They took action in that case.

Now, we are getting serious complaints -- complaints that never came to us in the last three years.

Are you surprised that these things are happening in the film industry of which you were not aware?

I am shocked.

These kind of power games have been going on for years everywhere, even in the film industry.

Do you think after these exposes, such sexual harassment will not recur in the film industry?

Now, people will not sexually harass women and even if they do, they will think twice after this #MeToo movement.

But this kind of sexual harassment is everywhere, be it politics, corporate or the film industry.

Since we are in the glamour industry, people want to read more about us.

What kind of rules is CINTAA enforcing to protect women and men against sexual predators?

We do not need to change anything.

The Vishaka guidelines already exist; only awareness is needed.

CINTAA will put up Vishaka guidelines and posters in all film studios and sets.

Every unit member must know what sexual harassment means and what can be the outcome if one does sexual harassment.

Will it make a difference?

What is the harm in trying?

It will make some difference.

If we do not do anything, nothing will change.